Publications: Asylum Policy/US, Exclusion/Netherlands, North Africans/Italy, Rohingyas/Burma, Solidarity/EU

Asylum and "Credible Fear" Issues in U.S. Immigration Policy (U.S. Congressional Research Service, April 2011) [text via Refworld]

Balancing Exclusion, Prosecution and Non-refoulement: The Application of Article 1F of the Refugees Convention in The Netherlands, ANU Centre for European Studies Briefing Paper Series, vol. 2, no. 1 (Jan. 2011) [text]

The Implementation of Article 80 TFEU on the Principle of Solidarity and Fair Sharing of Responsibility, including Its Financial Implications, between the Member States in the Field of Border Checks, Asylum and Immigration (European Parliament, 2011) [text]

Italy: Amnesty International Findings and Recommendations to the Italian Authorities Following the Research Visit to Lampedusa and Mineo (Amnesty International, April 2011) [text]

Rohingyas Seeking Protection and Refuge (Human Rights Brief, April 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Recent Resources Focusing on Children

The Children's Legal Centre and the Islington Law Centre have launched a Refugee Children's Rights Project in the UK. Their aim:

Building on existing legal and policy networks, the project promotes sharing and coordination of legal knowledge and expertise amongst professionals working with children and young people seeking protection in the UK. We hope to create a network and forum for advisors and professionals, with a view to establishing a strategic approach to legal and policy work on behalf of asylum seeking children and young people. This will cover all areas of asylum, family law and welfare based children’s proceedings.

Publications:

Age Assessment Practices: A Literature Review & Annotated Bibliography (UNICEF, 2011) [text]

Children at the Border: The Screening, Protection and Repatriation of Unaccompanied Mexican Minors (Appleseed, April 2011) [text]

Detaining Children Is Not a Necessary Evil, Despite the Coalition's Approach (openDemocracy, April 2011) [text]

"The Right to be Heard: Voicing the Due Process Right to Counsel for Unaccompanied Alien Children," Boston College Third World Law Journal, vol. 31, no. 1 (Winter 2011) [full-text]

"The Trafficking of Children in the Asia-Pacific," Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 415 (Australian Institute of Criminology, April 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Upcoming Deadline: UNHCR Small Grants Programme

Further to our earlier announcement (see below) applicants to the UNHCR small grants programme are strongly advised to submit their applications well before the final 31 May deadline, in view of the quantity and quality of the applications that have already been received.

****************************************************

UNHCR's Policy Development and Evaluation Service (PDES) invites applications to its 2011 Small Grants Programme.

The purpose of the programme is to encourage and enable original research and writing to be undertaken on refugee, displacement, migration and humanitarian issues and situations.

The maximum grant under this programme is $7,500, payable for projects that can be completed within a maximum of six months and which result in the preparation of a 20-40 page paper that can be published in the PDES working paper series 'New Issues in Refugee Research.'

Applications for sums of less than $7,500 will be prioritized in the selection process, as will those which address issues and situations that are closely related to UNHCR's mandate and operational activities. Proposals for micro-studies that are unrelated to broader policy and programme issues will generally not be funded.

To apply for a grant under this programme, please submit (1) a one-page project proposal, (2) an indicative budget, (3) a CV and (4) a writing sample, to hqpd00@unhcr.org, with 'Small grant' in the subject line. Applications that do not conform to this format will not be considered.

The application period closes on 31 May 2011.

Please apply for a grant under this programme only if you are serious about undertaking the proposed research. PDES has a limited amount of resources available for this initiative and if you are awarded a grant that is not effectively used for the stated purpose, you will be depriving other people of the opportunity to participate in the programme and will be contractually required to repay any funds advanced to you.

With best regards,

Dr. Jeff Crisp,
Head, PDES

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

New Issues of INSCAN, Refuge, WAN/Other News

Issues:

International Settlement Canada (INSCAN), vol. 24, nos. 3-4 (Winter-Spring 2011) [contents]
- Lead article is "A Review of Immigrant Information Practices." Note: An archive for past issues of this newsletter is now available, with full-texts made available in both English and French.

Refuge: Canada's Periodical on Refugees, vol. 26, no. 2 (2009) [full-text]

- Theme is "No Borders as Practical Politics." Feature articles include "Stateless Citizenship and the Palestinian-Arabs in Israel, Borders," "Labour Impacts, and Union Responses: Case of Spain," "Borders of Solidarity: Life in Displacement in the Amazon Tri-Border Region," "Moving Beyond English as a Requirement to 'Fit In': Considering Refugee and Migrant Education in South Australia," "Migrant Illegality, Nation Building, and the Politics of Regularization in Canada," "Differential Criminalization under Operation Streamline: Challenges to Freedom of Movement and Humanitarian Aid Provision in the Mexico-US Borderlands," "Negotiating Rights: The Politics of Local Integration," "Whose 'No Borders'? Achieving Border Liberalization for the Right Reasons," "Residency Documents for All! Notes to Understand the Movement of Migrants in Barcelona."  Other articles include "'I Have a Voice—Hear Me!' Findings of an Australian Study Examining the Resettlement and Integration Experience of Refugees and Migrants from the Horn of Africa in Australia," "Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Persecution: How Refugee Adjudicators Judge Women Seeking Refuge from Spousal Violence—and Why Reform Is Needed," "Un/Convention(al) Refugees: Contextualizing the Accounts of Refugees Facing Homophobic or Transphobic Persecution," "Siting Sudaneseness: Territory, Practice, and Identity in Aragi," "Refugees Who Arrive by Boat and Canada’s Commitment to the Refugee Convention: A Discursive Analysis," "Creating Higher Burdens: The Presumption of State Protection in Democratic Countries." One book review is also included.

Women's Asylum News, no. 101 (April 2011) [full-text via Refworld]
- Lead article is "Forced Marriage and Refugee Status."

Announcements:

Humanitarian Exchange, no. 51 will be published in July 2011 and will explore "Humanitarianism in the Middle East." Please contact the HPN coordinator (hpn@odi.org.uk) if you are interested in writing for this issue.

The quarterly Newsletter on European Migration Issues (NEMIS) is issued to judges in Europe by Radboud University in Nijmegen to inform them what is happening at the EU and national level regarding EU immigration law. To receive copies, please email Tineke Strik at T.Strik@jur.ru.nl.

Tagged Periodicals and Events & Opportunities.

May Events & Opportunities

Urban Displacement, Repatriation and Humanitarian Challenges, Copenhagen, 5 May 2011 [info]

- Register by 4 May 2011.

CMRS Summer Short Courses, Cairo, 5-23 June 2011 [info]
- Three courses are scheduled: Introduction to Refugee Law, June 5-9, 2011; Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Refugees, June 12-16, 2011; and Understanding Irregular Migration, June 19-23, 2011. Apply by 5 May 2011.

North Africa in Transition: Mobility, Forced Migration and Humanitarian Crises, Oxford, 6 May 2011 [info]
- Convened by the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) and the International Migration Institute (IMI).

CFP: Anti-Trafficking Review [info]

- New journal; theme is "Where's the Accountability?"; deadline for submitting abstract is 9 May 2011.

4th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS), Montreal, 11-13 May 2011 [info]
- The theme is "Forced Migration: Human Rights Challenges."

Threatened Island Nations: Legal Implications of Rising Seas and a Changing Climate, New York, 23-25 May 2011 [info]
- Panel topics include "statehood and statelessness," "resettlement rights," and "role for a new convention for climate-displaced peoples," among others. The conference web site also provides access to two bibliographies and a list of links to "useful reading."

Related posts:

- More April Deadlines/May Events & Opportunities

[Photo credit: AUC Campus, New Cairo]

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

Recent LGBT Resources

LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Refugees and Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Asylum: An Annotated Bibliography of Selected Legal and Social Scientific Publications (Gender and Sexuality Working Group, April 2011) [info]

- A draft version is available upon registration.

Moving Representations: Queer Refugee Subjectivities and the Law (Univ. of Sydney, Oct. 2010) [text via LGBT Asylum News]

Sexual Orientation in Refugee Status Determination, Working Paper no. 74 (RSC, April 2011) [text]

"Un/Convention(al) Refugees: Contextualizing the Accounts of Refugees Facing Homophobic or Transphobic Persecution," Refuge, vol. 26, no. 2 (2009) [full-text]

UNHCR's Comments on the Practice of Phallometry in the Czech Republic to Determine the Credibility of Asylum Claims based on Persecution due to Sexual Orientation (UNHCR, April 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

New Issue of IJRL

The latest issue of the International Journal of Refugee Law (IJRL) is available. The contents of vol. 23, no. 2, July 2011 include the following:

• Return and Reintegration of Human Trafficking Victims from Australia [abstract] [SSRN]
• Seeking Asylum in the Mediterranean: Against a Fragmentary Reading of EU Member States' Obligations Accruing at Sea [abstract]
• Engendering Protection: an Analysis of the 2009 Kampala Convention and its Provisions for Internally Displaced Women [free full-text]
• Problematic Trends in the Analysis of State Protection and Article 1F(a) Exclusion in Canadian Refugee Law [abstract]

Also included are the texts of two cases and four book reviews.

Tagged Periodicals.

Asylum Items

Gender & Political Asylum (Women and Foreign Policy Blog, April 2011) [text]
- See also related comment.

Human Tsunamis: Refugees and the Failure of Forced Migration Policy (CounterPunch, April 2011) [text]

- Focus is on Eritrea.

Researching Country of Origin Information (NCADC News, April 2011) [text]

UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum-Seekers from Eritrea (UNHCR, April 2011) [text]

What the United States Can Learn from Other Common Law Countries About Refugee Claims Based on Membership in a Particular Social Group (ExpressO, 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Focus on Asia Pacific

Publications:

Analysis: Conflict Leads to Afghan Displacement, But Which Side Most to Blame? (IRIN, April 2011) [text]

Bangladesh: The Silent Crisis (Refugees International, April 2011) [text]

Bangladesh's Climate Displacement Nightmare (The Ecologist, April 2011) [text]

Malaysia: Invest in Solutions for Refugees (Refugees International, April 2011) [text]

Responding to Boat Arrivals (FlagPost Blog, March 2011) [text]

Web Sites:

Bali Process [access]

- Web site of the Bali Regional Ministerial Conferences on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crimes. Most recent meeting was held 29–30 March 2011. See final statement and other papers under "conferences."

JRS Asia Pacific [access]

- Provides information on the work of Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) in the region.

[Photo credit: FlagPost Blog]

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

Publications: Boat People/Europe, Human Trafficking, IDPs/Africa, Palestinian Refugees, Refugee Minors & Legal Aid

"Blinded by Red Lights: Why Trafficking Discourse Should Shift Away from Sex and the 'Perfect Victim' Paradigm," Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice, vol. 26, no. 1 (Winter 2011) [full-text]

Challenges Facing Unaccompanied Refugee Minors' Access to Legal Aid (Legal Language Services, April 2011) [text]

"How Many Palestinian Arab Refugees Were There?" Israel Affairs, vol. 17, no. 2 (April 2011) [full-text]

"New Hopes and Challenges for the Protection of IDPs in Africa: The Kampala Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa," Denver Journal of International Law & Policy, vol. 39, no. 2 (2011) [full-text]

The Next European Crisis: Boat People (Charlemagne's Notebook, April 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

Report: Review of Natural Disasters

Following on from this earlier post on "Disasters in 2010," the Brookings-LSE Project on Internal Displacement has produced a report entitled "A Year of Living Dangerously: A Review of Natural Disasters in 2010."

Here's the blurb:

This Review provides both a general overview of natural disasters occurring last year and of the international humanitarian community’s response to them. It also delves more deeply into the two so-called mega-disasters of the year, the earthquake in Haiti and the widespread flooding in Pakistan. Finally it offers short analyses of one thematic issue—the "renters dilemma"—and explores the human rights issues around one particular type of disaster: volcanoes. We hope that this review is the first in a series of annual reports on natural disasters; future issues will explore further thematic issues and other types of disasters.

Three annexes list the Project's related publications, articles, reports, speeches, and events in 2010.

Tagged Publications.

Admin: Spring Break

This blog will be on holiday from April 16th to the 23rd.

Publications: AlertNet, Asylum Seekers & Counsel/US, Civilian Prot./Libya, Reprod. Health/Guinea, RSD/Canada

"Hundreds of Asylum Seekers Detained Without Counsel," La Linea (Spring 2011) [full-text]

An Interview with our 2011 Voices of Courage Honoree Thomson Reuters Foundation (Women's Refugee Commission Blog, March 2011) [text]

Libya: Protecting Civilians in a Drawn-Out Conflict (Refugees International, April 2011) [text]

OAS Rights Body Rules Canada Must Give Individualized Determination to Refugee Claimants (CCR, April 2011) [text]

- See also text of IACHR decision.

"Reproductive Health for Refugees by Refugees in Guinea III: Maternal Health," Conflict and Health 5:5 (April 2011) [open access article]

Tagged Publications.

Focus on Europe and Migration

(updated)

Annual Activity Report 2010 by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe (Council of Europe, April 2011) [text via Refworld]

- See esp. sub-section on asylum seekers and migrants.

Council Conclusions on the Management of Migration from the Southern Neighbourhood, 3081st Justice and Home Affairs Council Meeting, Luxembourg, 11-12 April 2011 (Council of the European Union, April 2011) [text]

The Council of Europe Steps Up (IntLawGrrls Blog, April 2011) [text]

"Improving Protection and Assistance in Mixed Migration Arrivals," DRIVE Newsletter (Sept.-Oct. 2010) [full-text]
- "[P]rovides information on international and European policy developments in the area of maritime arrivals in the Mediterranean countries of focus in the DRIVE project (Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain)... ."

The Large-scale Arrival of Irregular Migrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees on Europe’s Southern Shores (Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, April 2011) [text]

- See also related resolution.

Seminar on the Human Rights Dimensions of Migration in Europe, Istanbul, 17-18 February 2011 (Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, April 2011) [meeting report]

- See also related press release.

[Map credit: UNHCR]

Tagged Publications.

New Sphere Handbook

A busy week for launches! Today, the Sphere Project formally released a new edition of its Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response handbook. An English version is available for download (note that this is a zipped pdf file) and also can be purchased via Practical Action (UK) and (eventually) Amazon (US). Arabic, French, Spanish, Russian and German versions of the Handbook are forthcoming.

This document describes what is new in the 2011 edition.

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Alerta Report, Non-Refoulement, Palestinians & Low Infant Mortality, Resettlement FAQ, Rethinking Repatriation

Alerta 2011! (Escola de cultura de pau, April 2011) [Spanish text]

Frequently Asked Questions about Resettlement (UNHCR, April 2011) [text]

"Low Infant Mortality among Palestine Refugees Despite the Odds," Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 89, no. 4 (April 2011) [open access text]

Non-Refoulement Obligations in Public International Law: Towards a New Protection Status? (SSRN, April 2011) [preprint]
- Pre-print version of a chapter accepted for publication in Satvinder Juss (ed.), Research Companion to Migration Theory and Policy, Ashgate, 2011

Refugees and IDPs after Conflict: Why They Do Not Go Home (USIP, April 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

The New ReliefWeb

A newly re-designed ReliefWeb was launched today, its second major overhaul since 2005. In many ways, the site has been streamlined in the sense that there are fewer sections and the content has been integrated to a much greater extent. At the same time, the navigation is much more powerful, allowing users to drill down to very specific information quite quickly.

Users can now locate information by conducting a search, and then refining it by applying such filters as "country," "source," "theme," "content format," "disaster type," "vulnerable groups," "published date," and "language." Customized RSS feeds can also be generated using these filters. For example, I created one for "refugees" (under vulnerable groups) and "analysis" (under content format). Or you can get an RSS feed for an individual country page or disaster. The sections for "jobs" and "trainings" have their own search functions and filters that better match the nature of the information provided.

Another new feature is the companion "Feedback" section, which is effectively a separate site. This is where users can go to ask questions, get help, offer suggestions, and share thoughts - a ReliefWeb community, so to speak.

Try it out!

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

Events after the fact

Disciplining Global Movements: Migration Management and its Discontents, University of Osnabrück, Germany, November 2010 (H-Net, April 2011) [summary]

Ending the Displacement Cycle: Finding Durable Solutions through Return and Resettlement, Colombo, January 2011 (Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Jan. 2011) [summary]

Exploring Civilian Protection: The Role of the International Community, Washington, DC, January 2011 (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Jan. 2011) [info] [seminar report]

IACHR Hearing on Precautionary Measures 340/10 Concerning Women and Girls in Camps for Forcibly Displaced Persons in Haiti, Washington, DC, March 2011 (Human Rights Brief, March 2011) [summary]

"The International Protection Regime and the Right to Asylum: Development and Challenges," 59th Course on International Refugee Law, San Remo, Italy, 21 March 2011 (UNHCR, March 2011) [text]
- Opening lecture by Alice Edwards.

Right of the Displaced Population in Colombia to an Effective Remedy, Washington, DC, March 2011 (Human Rights Brief, April 2011) [summary]

- Hearing re. a petition before the IACHR.

Supporting Innovation in Humanitarian Organisations, Geneva, April 2011 (ALNAP, April 2011) [info] [summary]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Focus on Climate Displacement

Event:

Threatened Island Nations: Legal Implications of Rising Seas and a Changing Climate, New York, 23-25 May 2011 [info]

- Panel topics include "statehood and statelessness," "resettlement rights," and "role for a new convention for climate-displaced peoples," among others. The conference web site also provides access to two bibliographies and a list of links to "useful reading."

Publications:

Climate Change and Displacement: Event Summary (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, March 2011) [text]

Climate Displacement in Bangladesh (Displacement Solutions, 2011) [text]

- Features photos taken by "photojournalist Kadir van Lohuizen of the Netherlands...during a mission by Displacement Solutions (DS) and the Association for Climate Refugees (ACR)."

Environmental Refugees (Digital Commons @ CalPoly, Winter 2011) [access]

Norway-American University Essay Contest 2011 [access]

- Focus was on climate displacement; winning essays are available via a/m link.

Summary of Deliberations on Climate Change and Displacement (UNHCR, April 2011) [text]
- Summary of discussions at an expert roundtable held in Bellagio, Italy, from 22 to 25 February 2011.

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

WDR 2011

This year's World Development Report (WDR) was launched today by the World Bank. The theme is "Conflict, Security and Development."

For more information, visit the Conflict and Development blog, browse through the WDR's input papers, experiment with the data visualizer, and check out these multimedia resources on conflict.

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Asylum Seekers & Health, Burmese/Thailand, Fortress Asia, Persecution for Sexual Orient., Psychosocial Recovery

"Asylum Seekers' Perspectives on their Mental Health and Views on Health and Social Services: Contributions for Service Provision Using a Mixed-Methods Approach," International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 6, no. 4 (December 2010) [open access text]

Fortress Asia? The Bali Process Proceeds (IntLawGrrls Blog, April 2011) [text]

Genocide and Persecution on the Grounds of Sexual Orientation: Definitions and Questions concerning International Protection (LGBT Asylum News, April 2011) [text]

Guidance Note on Recovery: Psychosocial (International Recovery Platform, 2011) [text via PreventionWeb]

Thailand: No Safe Refuge (Refugees International, March 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

The 2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are now available. Published annually by the U.S. Department of State, the report surveys the adherence of over 190 countries to internationally recognized human rights as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Previous editions are available here.

A video of the release of the country reports can be viewed on the DipNote blog.

A new human rights web site has also been launched in conjunction with this year's country reports. Described as a "one-stop site," this resource "links users directly with news, reports and explanatory information from the State Department and other USG partners, allowing for easy access to publicly available documents."

Other annual reports posted on this blog can be accessed here, while information relating to country of origin conditions can be retrieved here.

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

West Africa Crisis

A displacement crisis has been unfolding in Côte d'Ivoire since disrupted presidential elections last November erupted in violence, resulting in some 150,000 refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries and causing an estimated 700,000+ people to be internally displaced.

For an overview of the situation, visit the following resource pages:

• Côte d'Ivoire: Crise Post-électorale (OCHA)
• Côte d'Ivoire Country Page (IDMC)
• Côte d'Ivoire Latest Updates (ReliefWeb)
• Côte d'Ivoire on the Edge (UNHCR)
• Liberia Emergency Portal (UNHCR)

Tagged Web Sites/Tools.

Focus on Refugee Protection and Migration Control

(updated)

Here are various new resources that discuss the phenomenon of mixed migration, examine what happens when states attempt to exercise greater migration control, both at their borders and beyond, and/or propose strategies for ensuring that people's protection needs continue to be met in this climate.

Access to Asylum: International Refugee Law and the Globalisation of Migration Control (Cambridge University Press, 2011) [info] [preview via Google Books]

"A Contested Asylum System: The European Union between Refugee Protection and Border Control in the Mediterranean Sea," European Journal of Migration and Law, vol. 12, no. 1 (2010) [free full-text]

From Forced to Irregular, Voluntary to Regular: The Shifting Paradigms of International Migration, Paper presented at International Studies Association Conference, Quebec, 16 March 2011 [text]

Refugee Protection and Mixed Migration: The 10-Point Plan in Action (UNHCR, Feb. 2011) [text]

"Seeking Asylum in the Mediterranean: Against a Fragmentary Reading of EU Member States’ Obligations Accruing at Sea," International Journal of Refugee Law, forthcoming, 2011 [abstract]

"'Transit' and 'Suspension': Migration Management or the Metamorphosis of Asylum-Seekers into 'Illegal' Immigrants," Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 37, no. 3 (March 2011) [abstract]

"Turning Refugees into 'Illegal Migrants': Afghan Asylum Seekers in Europe," Ethnic and Racial Studies, forthcoming, 2011 [abstract]

UNHCR Protection Training Manual for European Border and Entry Officials (UNHCR, April 2011) [access]

With a Migrant Crisis Looming, the EU Should Learn from its Past Mistakes (HRW, April 2011) [text]

Resources to watch for:

• Forthcoming bibliography on mixed migration.
• Special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies on "Irregular Migrants: Policy, Politics, Motives and Everyday Lives."

Tagged Publications.

Focus on Human Trafficking

(updated)

A new working paper from the UNHCR series "New Issues in Refugee Research" has just been published that considers refugee protection for trafficking victims: "Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation: Victim Protection in International and Domestic Asylum Law," New Issues in Refugee Research, no. 206 (UNHCR, April 2011) [text]

I've come across quite a few resources lately that focus on human trafficking, although not necessarily from the asylum point of view. First, a fast-approaching event:

20th Annual Northern Illinois Law Review Symposium on Human Trafficking, "Which Way Home," DeKalb, IL, USA, 14-15 April 2011 [info]

- Will include discussion panels on "International and Domestic Framework For Human Trafficking," "Topical Review of Human Trafficking," "Litigating Human Trafficking Cases," and "Policy Implications."

Next, a (fairly lengthy) list of publications:

Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Protecting its Victims, and Replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/629/JHA (European Union, March 2011) [text]

"Eritrea's National Service Program: The Human Rights–Human Trafficking Perspective," DePaul Rule of Law Journal (Fall 2010) [full-text]

Family Faces Criminal Charges for Human Trafficking in Canada (Human Rights Brief, April 2011) [text]

Global Phenomenon, Invisible Cases: Human Trafficking in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, Background Note, no. 1 (ACP Observatory on Migration, Feb. 2011) [text]

"Greasing the Palm: An Argument for an Increased Focus on Public Corruption in the Fight Against International Human Trafficking," Cornell International Law Journal, vol. 44, no. 1 (Winter 2011) [full-text]

"International Trafficking in Women: Application of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings in Post-Conflict States and Creation of a European Court to Adjudicate Cases of Trafficking," DePaul Rule of Law Journal (Fall 2010) [full-text]

Interview with Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (ECRE, April 2011) [text]

Summary Note of the Online Discussion on the "Draft Basic Principles on the Right to an Effective Remedy for Trafficked Persons" (OHCHR, March 2011) [text]

"Trafficking in the Republic of Azerbaijan," DePaul Rule of Law Journal (Fall 2010) [full-text]

Trafficking of Migrant Domestic Workers in Lebanon: A Legal Analysis (Kafa (enough) Violence & Exploitation et al., March 2011) [text]

Papers from the International Studies Association conference in March 2011 are now being posted online; here are some that examine human trafficking issues:

• Combating Trafficking in Human Beings: The Case of Ukraine [text]
• The Determinants of Human Trafficking: An Empirical Analysis of Host Country and Trafficker Characteristics [text]
• Disastrous Encounters: Trafficking in Natural Disasters [text]
• Exploring the Impact of Inter-Governmental Organizations (IGOs) on Human Trafficking in Haiti [text]
• Gender, International Trafficking Norms and Gulf Migration [text]
• Promoting Regional Cooperation without Local Capability: Combating Trafficking in Persons in Southeast Asia [text]
• The Spread of Anti-trafficking Policies – Evidence from a New Index [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

Journal Articles & Comment on Delivery Mechanisms

Here are four newly published journal articles (and one yet to be published one). I know many readers are particularly interested in accessing scholarly journal/law review articles, and this random selection provides a useful example of the different models being used to deliver free full-text articles online:

"Constructing 'Modern Gendered Civilised' Women and Men: Gender-mainstreaming in Refugee Camps," Gender and Development, vol. 19, no. 1 (2011) [free full-text]

- This is an Oxfam journal published by Routledge. The full-text requires payment on the Routledge site, but is free through Oxfam. While it is free to read, it is still subject to copyright and distribution restrictions.

"Is Germany the New Canada? One American Deserter's Request for German Asylum," Military Law Review, vol. 205 (Fall 2010) [free full-text]

- Scroll to p. 94. This journal is published by the U.S. Department of the Army; there is a print version available by subscription and a freely-available online version. Government publications are generally not copyright-protected.

"Fleeing the Drug War Next Door: Drug-related Violence as a Basis for Refugee Protection for Mexican Asylum-Seekers," Merkourios: Utrecht Journal of International and European Law, vol. 27, no. 72 (2011) [open access]

- This is an open access journal, which means it is made freely available online, and it places no restrictions on re-use and distribution. The journal has elected to "provide immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge."

"The International Legal Challenges of Climate-Induced Migration: Proposal for an International Legal Framework," Colorado Journal of International Environmental Law and Policy, vol. 22, no. 3 (2011) [preprint via SSRN]

- This article is due to appear in a forthcoming issue of the a/m fee-based journal, but it is being made available now as a preprint through the subject repository, Social Science Research Network (SRRN). A preprint is the version of an article submitted for consideration to a journal. Depositing eprints in a repository represents one way to more widely and more rapidly disseminate your work before it is subjected to restrictions imposed by a publisher.

Batterers as Agents of the State: Challenging the Public/Private Distinction in Intimate Partner Violence-Based Asylum Claims (ExpressO, 2011) [text]

- Another example of a preprint: This paper has not yet been published in a journal; however, it has been submitted to law reviews via Berkeley Electronic Press' ExpressO service.

Tagged Publications.

Publications: Asylum-seekers/Lebanon, Decision-making/UK, Palestinians/Arab States, Palestinians & Stats., Refugee Law & Islam, UNHCR Resolution

Asylum Decision-making in the UK: Disbelief or Denial? (openDemocracy, April 2011) [text]

Asylum Seekers and Refugees: Languishing in Injustice (Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, March 2011) [text]

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, A/RES/65/194 (UN General Assembly, Feb. 2011) [text]

Palestinian Population, Movement and Statistics, Working Paper 2011/6 (Birzeit University, March 2011) [text via SSRN]

Refugee Law in Islam (SSRN, April 2011) [text]

The Status of Palestinian Refugees in Host Arab States, Working Paper 2011/3 (Birzeit University, March 2011) [preprint via SSRN]

Tagged Publications.

Disasters in 2010

A few new resources that report on disasters and the toll they took on populations in 2010:

• 2010 Disasters in Numbers (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, 2011) [text]
• Disasters in Numbers 2010 (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Jan. 2011) [text]
• Natural Catastrophes and Man-made Disasters in 2010: A Year of Devastating and Costly Events (Swiss Reinsurance Company, 2011) [text via PreventionWeb]
• "Natural Disasters in 2010," CRED Crunch, no. 23 (Feb. 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

UK: Human Rights, Humanitarian Response, Legal Aid

Human Rights and Democracy: The 2010 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report was released on 31 March 2011. Quarterly updates will be issued to track developments in the 26 countries being monitored.

Earlier in the month, the UK Dept. for International Development issued the Humanitarian Emergency Response Review (HERR), an independent review that "considers how the UK should best respond to humanitarian emergencies overseas, and the role the country should play in the international humanitarian system." Here is ODI's initial reaction to the review, a blog commentary, and a more fleshed out opinion piece.

Finally, the UK government has announced cuts to legal aid funding. Two recent responses include:

Proposed Changes to Legal Aid and What They Could Mean for Migrants’ Access to Justice (Migrants' Rights Network, March 2011) [text]

"Refugees Face Double Whammy from Cuts," Runnymede Bulletin, no. 364 (Winter 2010/2011) [full-text]

- Scroll down to p. 10.

Tagged Publications.

New Issues of Fahamu Refugee News, Health & HR, Ref. Watch Online, WAN

Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter (April 2011) [blog] [full-text]

- Note: The newsletter is now being distributed via a blog format. Includes articles on finding law reviews online, the cessation clause as applied to Rwandans in Uganda, family reunification in Finland, and the crisis in Libya, among others.

Health and Human Rights: An International Journal, vol. 12, no. 2 (2010) [open access journal]

- Mix of articles including "Sex trafficking and health care in Metro Manila: Identifying social determinants to inform an effective health system response."

Refugee Watch Online (March 2011) [full-text]
- Mix of news, views and reports on child migrants in the Caribbean, IDPs in Nepal, community-based approaches in New Delhi, and preventing displacement, among others.

Women's Asylum News, no. 100 (March 2011) [full-text]

- Lead article commemorates WAN's 100th issue.

Tagged Periodicals.

Libya/North Africa Resources

Event & Opportunity:

CFP: "North Africa Social and Political Change and the Impact on Migrant Communities," Africa Peace and Conflict Journal [info]

- Deadline is 15 April 2011.

North Africa in Transition: Mobility, Forced Migration and Humanitarian Crises, Oxford, 6 May 2011 [info]
- Convened by the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) and the International Migration Institute (IMI).

Publications:

Humanitarian Dashboard Libya (OCHA, April 2011) [text]

Libyan Crisis: One Month into IOM’s Response (IOM, March 2011) [text]

"Libyan Crisis: Refugees Face Detention, Violence, But Are Stopped from Fleeing," Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter (April 2011) [text]

Protection Considerations with Regard to People Fleeing from Libya - UNHCR's Recommendations (as at 29 March 2011): Update No. 1 (UNHCR, March 2011) [text]

When is Migration a Security Issue? (Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, March 2011) [text]

Web Sites:

Migration Crisis from Libya (IOM) [access]

UNRIC Library Backgrounder: Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe) [access]

- Aggregates UN info. relating to the Libyan crisis.

Tagged Events & Opportunities, Publications and Web Sites/Tools.

More April Deadlines/May Events & Opportunities

April:

Vacancy: Country Director, Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) [info]

- Apply by 9 April 2011.

Informal Thematic Debate on International Migration and Development, New York, 19 May 2011 [info]

- Hosted by the President of the UN General Assembly; pre-register by 15 April 2011.

Improving Member States Asylum Systems and Defining Good Practices, Maastricht, The Netherlands, 19-20 May 2011 [info]

- Register by 29 April 2011.

May:

International Summer School in Forced Migration, Oxford, 11-29 July 2011 [info]
- Apply by 1 May 2011.

The State of International Refugee Law, EU Harmonization and the Nordic Legacy, Copenhagen, 26-27 May 2011 [info]

- Register by 2 May 2011.

Humanitarian Diasporas: Exploring the Role of Refugee Resettlement and Transnational Networks in Post-conflict Reconstruction [info]

- Panel at the World Conference on Humanitarian Studies, Medford, MA, 2-5 June 2011; submit an abstract by 6 May 2011.

8th International Human Rights Forum, "Human Rights and Migration," Lucerne, 24-25 May 2011 [info]

- Includes a panel on "Migrants: Refugees or Illegal Immigrants? Problematic Terms and Its Consequences" and a presentation on "Migration and Displacement in the Context of the Climate Change."

NGO Security Conference 2011, "Risk Management: What is Your Threshold?", Amsterdam, 25 May 2011 [info]
- Registration is now open; note that NGO Security Week will be taking place in The Netherlands as well, with courses scheduled before and after the conference. Visit the link above for more info.

Tagged Events & Opportunities.

Publications: Climate Displ./South Asia, Employment/US, EU Charter, Humanitarian Coord., Protection/Maghreb, Social Networks

2010 Report on the Application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (European Union, 2011) [text]

Climate-related Displacement and Human Security in South Asia: A Review of the Social Science Research, Working Paper, no. 3 (Institute for Human Security, 2011) [text]

The Humanitarian Groundhog Day (Aid on the Edge, March 2011) [text]

- See also related comment.

Migrant Social Networks: Vehicles for Migration, Integration, and Development (Migration Information Source, March 2011) [text]

Refugee Assistance: Little is Known about the Effectiveness of Different Approaches for Improving Refugees' Employment Outcomes (GAO, March 2011) [text]

Study on Migration and Asylum in Maghreb Countries (Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, Feb. 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications.

LGBT Resources

Events:

Workshop on "Homosexual asylum: the problem of proof," Paris, 2 April 2011 [info via LGBT Asylum News]

Panel on "Sexual Minority Refugee Issues," Toronto, 19 April 2011 [info]

- Note that one presentation will review the literature compiled in an annotated bibliography "of legal and social science research on LGBTQ migration, refugees and asylum."

Publications:

"Finding the Fundamental: Shaping Identity in Gender and Sexual Orientation Based Asylum Claims," Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, vol. 19, no. 2 (2010) [full-text]

"Living Discreetly: A Catch 22 in Refugee Status Determinations on the Basis of Sexual Orientation," Brooklyn Journal of International Law, vol. 36, no. 1 [abstract]

- Note: The full-text will eventually become available, so check back.

Safety, Sanctuary & Solidarity: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Scotland (Equality Network, BEMIS & GRAMNet, March 2011) [text]

Tagged Publications and Events & Opportunities.

April Events & Opportunities

Spring Courses for Certificate in International Migration Studies, Washington, DC [info]

- Offered at Georgetown University; course on "refugees and displaced persons" is 6-8 April 2011. Enrollment is open.

Job Opportunity: Senior Associate, Refugee Protection Program, Human Rights First [info]
- Apply by 11 April 2011; start date is May 2011.

Social Networking Opportunit​ies for Migrant Community Organisati​ons, 15 April 2011, London [info]

- Workshop limited to 18 participants.

Forced Migration Program, Barcelona, 17-23 April [info]

- Offered by the Center for Internatio​nal Humanitari​an Cooperatio​n; "a week-long course that prepares aid workers, government, military and other professionals to provide assistance to migrants, IDPs and refugees."

Tagged Events & Opportunities.